A good beginning makes a good end. Hopefully.

Have you ever had an inkling that something might be the thing you've always wanted to do, but it was easier to not upset the status quo? Go find out. Chances are it IS, and you'll kick yourself for waiting around that long wasting time doing something that doesn't make you happy.

I want to be a lot of things when I grow up. I want to be a published writer (the dream is before I'm 30, so less than three years. Tick, tock). I want to be a vet. Animal, not war. That's not going to happen because I don't want to go through 4 years of med school and hundreds of thousands of dollars into debt and did you know sometimes animals DIE? Yeah. I'd get too emotionally invested. And for the better part of the last decade, I've wanted to work in the beauty industry. I've been freelancing with makeup for years, but due to needing a "real" job it always took a backseat. Until 8 weeks ago, when I began cosmetology school.

Anyway. I decided to marry my new found passion for hair with my long time passion for writing and blog this year. I'm a planner, a watcher, a thinker and before I toured my new school I tried to find out as much as I could about the experiences people had in cosmetology school. I didn't come up with a lot of organic content. Sure, schools and curriculums have websites that have student sound bites on them, but the schools are still responsible for editing that content. I wanted something in depth, to the point and to not pull any punches. I hope that maybe what I write can be that for somebody else, especially since I'm not exactly known for pulling punches.

I'm a little older than most of the girls at my school (and one boy). I'm 27, which I really view as a total advantage in this whole thing. I can focus, apply the lessons I've already learned and hopefully get through beauty school quickly and pass my state board the first try in January.

A few other things about me, because I guarantee this won't stay cosmo school focused the whole time (especially after I graduate in December); I am passionate about breast cancer research and education and prevention. In 2009 I did the Breast Cancer 3-Day (now known as the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure). I will for SURE be doing it again this year. It was the best thing that ever happened to me, and kind of the catalyst for going after what I want now. The 3-Day taught me about what kind of world I want to live in, starting with myself. I'm sarcastic and silly and love my friends. I love my family, even though they drive me crazy. I'm working my butt off to get in great shape (this is all kind of part of being the best version of myself before I'm 30). I'm planning on running a half marathon in January 2011 and a full in January 2012, so I'm sure they'll be posts about running and eating and working out and all that fun stuff.

And most of all, I'm excited for what this year is going to bring. I think my last couple years before 30 are going to be pretty incredible. Here's hoping!